Fashion: Rise of the style flick

Paris is a city synonymous with fashion and cinema, so it was fitting that Paris Fashion Week kicked off with a mini film festival highlighting the increasingly interesting relationship between the two.

Held at the prestigious Jeu de Paume arts institute, the three-day extravaganza was conceived and curated by living style legend Diane Pernet. A designer turned critic, Pernet is as famous on the fashion circuit for her striking appearance (black veil, black Pompadour-style hair and black cats-eye sunglasses) as for her authoritative blog, A Shaded View on Fashion. Her filmic venture is born out of a desire to bring fashion out of the traditional realm of the photograph and into the world of the moving image.

Among the short films screened this year were documentaries dedicated to John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, an ode to Mary Janes, and Francesco Carrozzini's Don't Blink! (Linda), starring no less than Linda Evangelista herself.

The idea of fashion flicks seems to be gaining quite a following in the industry. In London, the pioneering SHOWstudio collective has led several such projects, most recently challenging hot young designers including Henrik Vibskov, Pierre Hardy and Rodarte to produce short films, several of which were shown at Pernet's festival.

But it's not just edgy, underground labels getting involved: Prada is behind a series of animated films called "Fallen Shadows", while Louis Vuitton has hooked up with the pop-artist Takashi Murakami for a film in Japanese "superflat" cartoon style.

With such exciting collaborations taking place, there's bound to be ample material for a re-run of Pernet's festival next year. We just feel sorry for anyone who has to sit behind her and her six-inch hair-do.